Gibson Qingdao Factory in China

I was excited to come across this information this morning. Perhaps you folks have seen this, and if it's been posted before (I couldn't find any post) I apologize. The serial number on my Plain Top shows that it was made at the Gibson Qingdao Factory in China. The factory is dedicated to the production of Epis. The story of the factory is quite interesting. In my travels through Asia I was impressed with the fact that they put a very high value on education and work ethics. Would I trust products made there . . . you bet your sweet bippy I do.

But then again, sinse Gibson started making Epi overseas, there have been some runs made here.

Yes, and now according to a recent thread on the Gibson acoustic forum, Gibson plans to produce Epi Masterbilt acoustics at the old Garrison facility in Canada. A Canadian made Epiphone is something I'd like to see.

One thing I've noticed, with the Qing Dao made Epiphone ES models,
is they are now back to "Gibson/Epiphone" like spec's, instead of
the "generic" Samick spec's, with a Epi headstock. This is a GOOD thing..IMHO.
Body outlines are correct, now...etc. Now, if they'll only correct
the inlay on the Dot's, to the "crown," and use the current dot inlay,
on all future "Riviera" models, which would be technically correct, for
that model...things could be near perfect...save having them made in USA.
But, of course, they'd be at "Gibson" prices, then. ;>)

my 1st Chinese Epi was an early '56 LPGT, and it was a mess when I broke the seal on the box from GC....
fit & finish were great, but the details....
neck not settled in yet, took 3 adjustments to set it.
neck P-90 not even screwed into the body cavity, literally HANGING up against the strings.
3 way broken and unusable except in neck position.
input socket wire broken, and socket grounded internally.

lots of TLC turned it into:

it was 2 1/2 yrs before I risked buying another Chinese Epi "in the box".
it arrived in a state of absolute perfection !!
(granted, Sweetwater inspected/set-up/played it before they shipped it, but the things that fall under "build quality" were really top notch and impressive:

I wouldn't hesitate to buy another ChEpi' now.......the QC has really stepped up the game

I've owned an Epi 56 Goldtop LP since 2008.Bought it from Musians Friend.It was "perfect out of the box"except I changed the strings(Slinky's).I also own a Gibson SG Standard.I love both and would'nt and could'nt pay #3,000+for a Gibson 56 Goldtop.The China built Epi is a Great Guitar.

With regard to the Gibson/Garrison plant in Mt. Pearl,Newfoundland,Canada.That plant was shut down at least 2 years ago and all the inventory even Garrison guitars that people had left there in good faith and had nothing to do with Gibson for repairs were packed up and sent back to the U.S.All the manufacturing equipment was also disassembled and sent back too.I know this because my daughter worked there installing tuning pegs,necks and electronics and her old boyfriend was in charge of the finishing/refinishing part of the plant.The closure was dropped on them one Friday,they were simply told that they were not to show up any more.

There were a lot of people who had nothing to do with this very put out about it.There at least 2 dozen Garrison guitars that had absolutely nothing to do with Gibson left there to be worked on and some of them were the top shelf models that were there for little more than a truss rod adjustment.I don't know who ended up with these beautiful guitars as Garrison is no more and with its innovative design and bracing it is destined to become quite collectable.A very good musician friend has tried several times in vain to trace his prized Garrison that he used gigging and it was their most expensive model.So far nobody from Gibson or the ex CEO of Garrison has been forth coming with any answers.

You gotta hand it to those people at Quingdao, Gibson or Epiphone Plant. They learn fast and they're getting better every day.

I hope that sometime in the near future I might acquire, perhaps, a Les Paul GX Prophecy or a Les Paul
pro FX desert burst. Will have to wait and see what the wallet and Mrs Wife says.
A Gibson alternative is wayyyy.. too expensive and somewhat overated.
I think Gibson USA are lucky to have such a great group of guitar builders in China. Their reputation in the U.S.A. is taking a battering at the moment from what I've been reading.

I'll be sticking with Epiphone for now. Maybe Gibson USA will wake up and find a way to drop those ridiculous prices they're asking. I mean $800+ for a Lp junior, $2000 for a LP studio, bloody 'ell!!!

EPIPHONE'S ROCK !!!!! I will never be convinced otherwise. (Man, that was all a mouthfull)